A Different Kind of Christmas Present
by SeptemberThe1st
Summary: "I think we need to find a private place to talk."


"Why don't you go with me?" Harry asked.

A look of surprise crossed her face.

"As friends," Harry quickly added.

"Why didn't I think of that!" Hermione replied, smiling at him. "That's a brilliant idea, seeing as neither of us can go with who we want. Yes, Harry, I would love to go with you."

Harry smiled back. "I'm glad that's settled then. I'll meet you in the Common Room at eight."

* * *

At eight, a well-groomed Harry Potter walked down the Gryffindor stairs in his black dress robes, tugging at the collar to try to make it more comfortable. It had been a couple of years since the Yule Ball, so Harry was out of practice in trying to look his best, and based on the amount of effort he had just gone through, he didn't want to have to do it again any time soon. But he deemed the time well spent when he stepped into the common room, and saw Hermione waiting by the fireplace.

Harry racked his brain, trying to decide if his best friend had ever looked more beautiful.

"Nope," he thought, "not even at the Yule Ball."

She was wearing a lilac knee-length dress that perfectly complemented her hair. Her hair! It was done up in rather elegant curls that ended at her shoulders and cascaded around her face. All in all, she looked stunning, and Harry could see that she had drawn the eyes of every male in the common room.

"You look beautiful, Hermione," Harry said, grinning at her once he reached the fireplace. A slight blush grew on her cheeks as she grinned back.

"Thanks Harry, I appreciate that. You look great too. Although..."

She reached up and tried to smooth his rebellious hair, but Harry chuckled and said, "Believe me, Hermione – I've tried everything. I even tried a spell, but nothing will tame it."

"You're lucky, though. It still looks good. I can only wish mine looked that good when unkempt."

"Hermione, I think your hair looks great all the time," Harry said.

"Thanks Harry, but I don't think that's true," Hermione replied, blushing deeper this time.

"No, it's true. Besides, I don't think people tell you enough, but friend-to-friend, I think you're really pretty. And I can say with complete confidence that you have made an impression on all the males in here right now."

She looked down, a little embarrassed, but Harry could tell that she appreciated his words.

"Ready?" he asked, extending his arm out to her.

"Ready," Hermione said, taking his arm.

Harry led the two of them towards Slughorn's office, where the party was to be held. He was already glad that he had brought a friend, because the trip was filled with talking and laughter, things he knew would not have been the case had he brought someone else.

"I'm glad I'm going with a friend, Harry. This party is going to be so much more bearable having someone I know with me," Hermione said, agreeing with Harry's thoughts.

"Me too, Hermione. And I know you won't read anything in to this, like most other girls would."

* * *

As soon as they arrived, Slughorn tugged both of them around the room to meet several of his former students. Finally escaping his grasp, they picked up glasses of pumpkin juice and found seats at a corner table in the crowded room. Laughing, the two of them tried to remember the names of any of the people they had just been introduced too, but couldn't muster any success.

The next few hours went by quickly, with lots of talking, a few drinks, and even a dance or two. Harry honestly couldn't remember the last time he had spent this much time with Hermione, and he found himself enjoying it immensely. There had been some differences between them in the first half of their sixth year, and he was glad that they were getting a chance to become close again. After all, she had been a better friend than Ron over the last couple of years, the whole debacle with the Tri-Wizard Tournament being the main culprit. Even with the whole thing about the Half-Blood Prince's potion book, he knew Hermione only nagged because of her concern for his safety. Frankly, he could say that Hermione was definitely his best friend.

* * *

The room had been loud all night, which is why Harry found it odd when the noise level began to die down. He thought nothing of it, until the room was still. He looked around, and he was surprised to find every eye trained on the corner he and Hermione were in. Quickly glancing at Hermione, who had also been startled by the lack of noise, he could tell she was just as confused as he was.

"What?" Harry asked the room-at-large.

"Harry, my boy, above your head," Slughorn graciously offered.

Harry looked up, and saw something that made his heart skip a beat.

Mistletoe.

MISTLETOE!

He looked down at Hermione, and she looked just as mortified as he felt.

"Okay, no problem. We'll just move tables," Harry whispered to her.

They stood up, and moved to the neighboring table.

The room stayed quiet.

They looked up again, and saw that the mistletoe had followed them to their new table. They looked at each other, panic evident in both faces.

"I heard some girls in the loo the other day talking about mistletoe. Enchanted stuff from Fred and George," Hermione whispered, trying to keep their frantic conversation private. "Supposed to follow the couple around until they kiss, and if they don't, it screeches profanity at them. I thought I had confiscated all of it, but apparently not."

"Then I guess we better just get this over with," Harry replied.

"Yes, I suppose we must," Hermione said, sighing, as she cast a notice-me-not charm over their corner.

They stared at each other for a few seconds before Hermione started giggling. Seeing the quizzical look on Harry's face, she said, "When I go home in a few weeks, what am I going to tell my mum? Yes, mum, I kissed my best friend under vulgar, persistent mistletoe. How preposterous does that sound?"

"Yes, well, wouldn't it be great if I took some of this mistletoe home and put it over Uncle Vernon's head?" Harry said, beginning to chuckle as well.

After a few seconds of laughter, the two calmed down, much more relaxed than they had been. No longer as nervous, the two leaned in, and their lips touched.

Harry had intended for the kiss to be extremely short, but as his lips touched hers, he felt something deep inside stir, as if a key had unlocked a door inside his heart.

He couldn't pull away. His mind was racing, trying to comprehend what was going on, but the only thing he could focus on was how soft and inviting her lips were, and how unrelenting the kiss was.

Finally, reluctantly, Harry pulled his lips from hers, and rested his forehead against hers, breathing hard.

"Wow," he whispered.

"Yeah," she replied, breathing just as hard as he was. They stared into each others' eyes as they caught their breath. If they had not been so preoccupied, they might have seen the mistletoe quietly move on to pester another couple.

"Hermione," Harry muttered.

"Yes, Harry," she breathed.

"I think we need to find a private place to talk," he said.


End file.
